I have a dream....

It's 10:30 on Election Night and the media has officially called Barack Obama the winner of the presidency. How very exciting. To me the dream of the possibilities ahead, mixed with the excitement of an African American president and hope for some change is what this election is about.

He's in Chicago. He's in Grant Park. There are about 50,000 people screaming their lungs out and waving signs and listening to patriotic music and he hasn't even arrived yet! I truly love the hope and excitement of this country. In a rough economy where scary things are happening like foreclosures and prices of things we need to live on are jumping left and right, we need a calming force, a guiding light and someone headstrong and yet open to great advice.

One newscaster made mention of the fact that when Dr. Martin Luther King made his "I have a Dream" speech, Obama was a 2 year old in Honolulu. Between that and hearing McCain's speech where he talked the about support and influences in his life, it struck me how much influence I have and the experiences I provide have on my children. Even from a young age. I think as a mom you get caught up in the day to day and sometimes it's good to step back and ask yourself "how am I raising my children and how am I exposing them to the world?" With Logan as a toddler, we lived in Seattle. I loved that he saw water, trees, green and environment everywhere. Mountains, hills, that was our view out our windows! With Sylvie we added a whole dimension of family time. We celebrate holidays together, but we also celebrate Sundays. And birthdays. And Christenings. It is so wonderful having family in our children's lives and they love it.

I would hope that our children can take in all that we are showing them, providing them with, bestowing on them and doing alongside them, and run with it. In their own way. They don't have to be president, but I would hope for success in their lives. However small. Happiness. And Joy. That is my dream.